Dragon Wings
by Anita
Summary: An Escaflowne prequel of when Van Fanel was a young boy. Cowritten by Tressa the Insane


Dragon Wings: Escaflowne Prequel

By: Anita and Tressa the Insane

* * *

Hi! This is a Vision of Escaflowne prequel made by me and

Tressa the Insane. Please R/R. Enjoy!

* * *

Dragon Wings: Escaflowne Prequel

"Folken-sama!" Balgus addressed the young prince. "Today, you will slay the dragon and take your father's rightful place as King of Fanelia!"

"I am honoured Balgus-san. I will not fail Fanelia."

Suddenly, a figure bounded into the room.

"Folken!"

He was about 6, with messy black hair and a huge grin.

"Van!" Folken crouched down to recieve Van's joyful hug.

"Van, I have to go now. I have to slay a dragon."

"You're not going to go forever are you?" Van asked sadly.

"No, little brother! It won't even take a week!"

A hopeful grin filled Folken's face.

"I'll be back to Fanelia soon!"

* * *

These words, full of happiness and hope, ran in Van's head, along with the ones Balgus spoke a month later.

"We searched for two weeks with no avail, Van... your brother is dead."

Van's eyes watered.

"Folken!"

Tears flowing from his eyes, he raced into his mother's room. She hugged her sobbing son.

"Van. Now that Folken is gone, you must bear the burden of Fanelia. You will be king."

"But I don't wanna!" yelled Van. "I want Folken back!"

With that, he raced out of the room.

"Shall I retrieve him?" asked Balgus, walking in.

"No. He needs time alone."

* * *

"Folken can't be dead! He promised he would be back!" yelled Van, walking through the forest. "I've got to find him!"

Van had been walking for hours searching for Folken, but he found nothing.

"Augh... this is so tiring." Van moaned to himself. "But, I can't give up!"

So, young Van kept walking through the dense forest.

Sadly, Van didn't notice the two menacing eyes that were watching his every move.

The bushes shook. Van glanced over, trying to convince himself that it was the wind.

The rustling followed him as he walked. He was filled with fear.

"It's just the wind... just the wind..." Van repeated to himself.

Suddenly, a great Ajinsho lept out of the bushes.

Ajinshos were the terror of Fanelia. They were wildcats, 8 feet long and blue all over. They walked on their hind legs, and their roars could be heard for miles around. Worst of all, they were carnivores.

"Ahh!" Van screamed and started to run.

The Ajinsho growled and chased after the little prince.

The Ajinsho and Van raced deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Somebody help me!" Van screamed, but nobody came to his aid.

Soon, Van tired out, and the Ajinsho caught up with him.

"Mother, help me! Mother!" Van screamed, in a last futile attempt.

Suddenly, Van had a flash back to his younger years.

_"Van, my son" the mother told her newborn child. "remember that a part of me will always be with you."_

Suddenly, great wings sprung out of his back, and he started flying away. The Ajinsho started clawing at Van's wings.

Van got away from the Ajinsho and landed safely on the ground.

Then the exhausted boy blacked out.

* * *

Van woke up, Where was he? Had he dreamt it all? Was Folken still alive?

He sat up. No, he was still in the forest. Why had he blacked out? He couldn't remember a thing.

He couldn't find Folken, he was stuck in the forest and he was totally confused. What was he going to do?

"Ouch!" Van cried, as pain seared through his shoulder blades. How had he hurt them?

He got up amid pain. Folken could be out there, somewhere. He couldn't give up!

He continued walking farther and farther into the forest.

* * *

"It has been a day, Varie-sama, Van-sama hasn't returned. Should we send a search party?" Balgus asked, worried.

"Yes." whispered Varie. "Van... I can't have the throne of Fanelia stay empty forever."

* * *

It was night. Van curled up in a clearing, trying to ignore the odd hoots and howls of the forest. There was a bright light in the distance.

As the light came closer, he shrunk back. Maybe it was Folken! With this thought in his mind, he crept closer.

"You go west, we'll keep going east." he heard a voice state.

Suddenly, royal guards burst into the forest left and right.

"What's going on?" Van cried.

"Hey! I think I heard a voice! I'll go check it out!" a guard informed the other guards and ran after little Van.

Van tried hard to out-run the guard, but was too tired after passing out.

"Ahh, young Van-sama! Why have you not returned to the castle? Your mother is worried sick!" the royal guard asked, relieved that he had found Van.

"I need to find Folken!" Van cried, and continued running.

"Come back here, boy!" yelled the guard. "Your brother is dead!"

The other guards heard the commotion, and came after Van.

Van had the energy of a six-year-old, but his wing usage had worn him down. The guards were getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, one tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

"Van-sama! You fool!" yelled the guard. "Your mother will see to it you're severely punished!"

"No!" yelled Van. He let out a loud scream of anger and defeat that filled the forest.

On his last breath, his wings spread out. Feathers flew everywhere.

The force of Van's wings protruding caused the guard's grip to loosen.

"No, Van-sama! Get back here!" the guards shouted. Van did not hear, due to the tremendous pain in his shoulders, while he flew away.

After flying quite a distance away, he collapsed in an exhausted heap.

* * *

"Varie-sama." Balgus' voice echoed through the chamber, more solemn than usual.

"The group could not locate Van-sama."

The search party didn't want to own up to their failures, and told Balgus that they had not found him.

"V-van..." whispered Varie.

* * *

It was happening again. Van awoke on the ground, exhausted, and not knowing how he got there. He had been chased by the guards... how had he escaped?

"Are you ok?" came a voice. Van spun around.

It was a cat-like creature, a Nekojin to be exact. She was younger than Van, about four-years-old. She had orange fur with black stripes, pink hair and white fur on her shoulders. Nekojin usually live in the forest, but can be taken as pets by humans.

"Uh, I'm all right. Who are you?" Van asked suspiciously. He didn't know much about Nekojin.

"I'm Merle! I saw you fall to the ground after you retracted your wings."

"Wings?" Van asked softly.

Suddenly, all his memory came flooding back. He remembered how he flew away from the Ajinsho, and how he got away from the guards.

"I have wings?" Van whispered again.

"Of course! I saw you! You know, it's not safe for you to be out here all by yourself, it's too dangerous!" Merle chastised.

"What do you mean?" Van asked, a little annoyed. "You're younger than me, and you're out here all alone!"

"But I've lived in the forest alone all my life. I've always been an orphan."

"Oh." Van said, feeling bad for Merle. "My father is died a while ago, and my brother, Folken de Fanel-sama, is presumed dead."

* * *

Varie was deep in thought. She closed her eyes and focused on Van.

Suddenly, Varie had a vision. It was of Van and a young Nekojin being attacked. They tried to fight back, but both fell unconscious.

"Oh no! Van!" Varie shouted, coming out of her trance.

"Varie-sama! What's wrong?" Balgus asked, running in.

"Balgus-san, please go back into the forest to search for Van, I'm sure he's still alive." Varie pleaded.

"Yes, Varie-sama!" Balgus replied and rushed out into the forest.

* * *

"Folken? The oldest prince of Fanelia? I heard someone talking about seeing him trying to slay a dragon." Merle said thoughtfully.

"Did they say whether he succeeded in slaying the dragon or not?"

"Yes"

"Did he?" Van asked hopefully.

"No" Merle replied, sadly.

"So my brother is dead." Van realized.

Suddenly, a Kwinchic bird screeched and started attacking Van and Merle.

A Kwinchic is a large, reddish-brown bird, with a sharp beak and sharp talons.

Usually, Kwinchics eat smaller birds, or rodents, but when they can't find anything to eat, they will hunt young mammals.

Merle acted fast, she sprung at the bird with her sharp claws and started scratching it ferociously. It did nothing.

"Wait, hang on tight!" Van yelled and sprouted his wings. He picked up Merle and started flying away.

Sadly, Van wasn't fast enough, and the Kwinchic soon caught up with him.

The large bird slashed at Van and Merle and they fell to the ground, unconscious.

The starving Kwinchic dived for the kill.

"AWWK!" the bird screamed. Balgus had appeared and cut its head off!

"Now, to get these two home." he said.

* * *

"And this young lady here helped Van-sama while he was in the forest." Balgus explained to Varie, once they all recovered.

"How can I ever thank you, Merle. if it weren't for you, my son, the prince of Fanelia, may be dead somewhere in the forest." Varie said, gratefully.

"Oh, it was nothing." Merle replied, blushing.

Varie smiled. "From now on, you shall be the prince's royal pet."

"Really? Oh, Van-sama, this means we can be friends forever!" Merle shouted, hugging Van happily.

"That's great Merle!" Van said, smiling.

Suddenly, Van turned serious, and turned to his mother.

"Mother" Van said, deep in thought, "why do I have wings?"

"Van, I was going to tell you when you were older, but I guess the time is now." Varie sighed. "Van, I am one of the Draconion people. Since they are a winged race, you have devoloped wings as well."

"What about Folken, mother?"

"Do not worry about your brother. I will go look for him in the forest by myself."

"But, Varie-sama!" Balgus whispered. "It's much too dangerous out there. Folken is-"

"The end of my life is nearing, Balgus-san. I do not want my son to have to bear the grief and sorrow of watching the last of his family die. I bid you farewell, my faithful friend. Watch over my son like a father."

A few days later, Varie left for the forest, and never returned.

* * *

Van became a great prince, and soon the king of Fanelia. He, Merle, and many others strived hard to obtain peace on the planet Gaea, and their great feats are remembered in the history of the planet, forever.

THE END


End file.
